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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26092078">The Icing on the Cake</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unzy/pseuds/Unzy'>Unzy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Paladins: Champions Of The Realm (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Baking, Cute, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, M/M, Parent-Child Relationship, Proud Parents, Tooth-Rotting Fluff</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 04:27:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>876</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26092078</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unzy/pseuds/Unzy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Strix and Viktor have fun baking for Kinessa.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Strix/Viktor (Paladins)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Icing on the Cake</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Just a domestic Striktor AU because I like my men happy</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Strix was at the sink, sun filtering through the window as he scrubbed dishes while he and Viktor waited for the cake to cool down. It was Kinessa's birthday today, and she had requested, per tradition, "any kind of cake, as long as it has LOTS of icing!" Strix had been concerned about too much sugar (there had been several incidents when she had exploded with sugar-related hyperactivity all over the house) but Viktor had shut him down, and he'd been happy to be shut down. It was her </span>
  <em>
    <span>birthday</span>
  </em>
  <span>, after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That done?" Viktor came in from outside, shutting the door firmly behind him. A few blades of grass were stuck in his hair. "Nessa's been 'disguising' me again. Having lots of fun making me look like a tree." Sure enough, from here Strix could see Kinessa through the window, now burying one of her toys in a pile of leaves, happy and laughing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smiled, picking up his wedding ring again (taken off while he washed up) and turning towards his husband. "That explains the grass in your hair."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Of course there is," he grumbled good-naturedly, as Strix cleaned him up. He let his hand linger on Viktor's cheek for a moment, and Viktor took his wrist and placed a loving kiss to the centre of his palm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They looked at each other. Savouring the moment. Viktor was beautiful. Strong cheekbones, dark hair, piercing blue eyes-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Anyway," Viktor said, clapping his hands together and breaking Strix out of his trance. "Are we ready to decorate?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I think so," Strix said. He leaned forwards, kissed Viktor on the cheek (Viktor's smile was a twitch of skin under Strix's lips) and directed him to the icing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kinessa's most recent obsession was with owls (Strix had never been more proud in his life when she announced it), so the cake this year was a technicolored owl. The icing was ready and waiting, pipettes full of scarlett and teal and lilac ready to make 'a bird out of a drugged fever dream', as Viktor had put it. They hadn't said that to Kinessa.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They got to it. The next while was spent layering on as much icing as they could get away with without it toppling over there and then. Sometimes Strix would look over at Viktor, whose tongue stuck out in concentration, and let fondness swell in his heart. Then Viktor would look up, see him staring, and throw a playful wink, which patterned an embarrassing flush across Strix's cheeks. "We're not done yet, love," Viktor would say, teasing, "and it won't get done at all if you can do is stare at </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span>, even if it is a nice view." Then Strix would blush even more, and they'd turn back to their work, both smiling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Strix was rather proud of their work, if he said so himself. The base coat was bright purple, then icing of every other hue was slicked and dabbed and layered on until something about the cake vaguely, possibly resembled an owl. Neither of them were great artists, but Kinessa wouldn't care as long as they </span>
  <em>
    <span>said</span>
  </em>
  <span> it was an owl, and as long as there was enough icing to sustain her sugar rush for days, which there certainly was. He made a mental note to hide away any valuables in precarious positions before later.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well," Viktor said, hands on hips as he gazed down at their masterpiece, "that's done."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Mm," Strix said, tallying up vases in his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We'll have to do something with the rest of the icing." He nodded towards the remaining pipettes - filled with bright blue and orange. "Want to help with that?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Strix made another non-committal noise. The owl clock would have to be taken down from its perch on the mantelpiece… "Hey! Vi-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He'd been jarred from his reverie by Viktor - or, to be more specific, the cold icing Viktor had smeared on Strix's nose. "Vitya, you </span>
  <em>
    <span>child</span>
  </em>
  <span>," he huffed, although he couldn't keep the grin off his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You love me," Viktor said, eyes sparkling - with love or mischief, it was impossible to tell. For Viktor, they were often the same thing. "Oh, look, you've got icing on your nose. Want me to help you clean it off?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're not even subtle," Strix mumbled as Viktor leaned up and kissed him on the nose to get the icing off. He would never admit how much he cherishd the feeling of Viktor's lips. "My dignity will never recover."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Who needs dignity?" Viktor said, smiling up at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Strix pulled him back in for a proper kiss. Just as it was getting a </span>
  <em>
    <span>little</span>
  </em>
  <span> too heated to be appropriate when Kinessa could walk in at any moment - Viktor grabbing at Strix's collar just this side of too tight, Strix nipping at his lower lip, chasing the heavy breaths he got in return - Strix found his target, hand groping along the table until he had what he needed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey!" Viktor said, grimacing at the icing smeared all over his cheek, although he was laughing too much to be annoyed. "That's not fair, you-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, you want to talk about fair?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They stared at each other for a long, long moment. Then they dove for the remaining icing.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
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